Despite repeated assurances from the Iraqi government that arming the Iraqi army will not pose a threat to international or domestic security, Iraqi Kurds insist that this step will plunge the country into a war from which they, more so than the rest of the Iraqis, have the most to lose.
The recent crisis erupted between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil, when Baghdad sent the Tigris Operations forces to the disputed areas. Frustrated with this advancement, the Iraqi Kurds in turn dispatched Peshmerga forces to the same disputed areas.